ECONOMY

• Our nation's economy is in crisis.  We're faced with stagnant wages, growing inflation, a fading dollar, the fallout of the subprime mortgage meltdown, and a tax system that leaves the middle class behind.  It's time to stop favoring only our nation's wealthiest and start giving back to those whose shoulders this country rests upon.  We need to increase the minimum wage, provide tax relief for the middle class, strengthen our unions, find relief for those facing foreclosure and restore government involvement in the housing market. We need to encourage companies to invest in America and keep jobs from moving overseas.  We need to ensure our fellow citizens have the opportunities to re-educate, as well as develop the skills to compete in a rapidly changing global economy.  Innovation, education, and reform are keys to bringing viability back to the middle class and America. 

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EDUCATION

• My wife is an English teacher, so I know first hand the problems that face our educational system.  After 200 years of education being in control of the state governments and local school boards, the federal government has now stepped in and taken over.  The Bush Administration's No Child Left Behind Act has not only left the children behind, but the educators as well.  Its reliance on standardized testing that was supposed to close the gap between white and minority students, has failed.  Its "one-size fits all" approach to education has failed.  Its lack of funding has failed us all: parents, teachers and students.

   

  What can we do to preserve our greatest natural resource, our children, and reverse this current trend?  Firstly, we need to take steps to lessen the blame on educators.  More focus needs to be placed on accountability across the board, i.e. - community, parents, administrators, as well as teachers.  Better recruitment needs to become a priority, as the profession needs to become more appealing to educated persons who might otherwise seek different careers.  We need to put money into salaries and loan forgiveness and change the stigma associated with "teacher's pay."  We need to eliminate the bureaucracy that stymies the path of our educators, and we need to find ways to reward our best and brightest within the profession. 

   

  Students need to once again be exposed to science, art, music, and P.E.  Trade programs need to be reinstituted.  After-school programs need to be expanded, and children need to know that a college education is within their grasp regardless of their social or economic standing.   

   

  Our future will one day be in their hands; let's make sure we've given them every opportunity to be the well-rounded leaders of the next generation we envision.  

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ENERGY

• If you've filled up your gas tank recently, I don't have to tell you the problems facing America and our dependence on foreign oil.  While the oil companies achieve record profits, Americans find themselves trapped between a fossil fuel and hard place.  With a country that relies so heavily on automobiles, especially here in Arizona, choosing between filling up your car to get to work or finding a job closer to home is not an option.  This is why we as a nation need to take steps towards increasing fuel economy standards while moving forward with the usage of flex-fuels, as well as hydrogen and electric alternatives. 

   

  But the need for change doesn't stop on the road; it continues in our homes and places of business.  We need to move towards the development of clean/affordable renewable energy alternatives, such as solar and wind.  America has the knowledge and resources to bring these solutions to life, but until we stop kowtowing to Big Oil, these ideas may never see the light of day. 

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ENVIRONMENT

• An issue that goes hand in hand with our energy concerns, and one in which solutions must be met concurrently.  The issues of global warming and climate change are real. Some would have you believe these are made up problems, but one only needs to look around and see the growing dangers our planet faces.  A worldwide effort must be made to find solutions for capping greenhouse gases and advancing the development of alternative fuels.  Right here in Arizona, the Valley of the Sun, greater steps should be made to use solar energy as a viable solution.  Cheaper methods of harnessing the power of the Sun are currently being developed, but the nation needs to make a concerted effort to support these ideas. 

   

  America needs to take the lead in issues concerning environment and stop hiding behind the veil of CO2 emissions it has created.  No longer can we use countries like China as an excuse for our own inactivity.  It's often been said that, "Two wrongs don't make a right."  Never have the stakes been greater than in this game of "Global (Warming) Chicken."  We need to takes steps to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and move towards greater world alliances in stemming the dangers to our environment. 

   

  Wouldn’t you like to leave the world a better place for your children?  I know I would. 

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS

• Our standing in the world community has taken a hit in the last eight years. What started out as an important step in combating terrorism quickly turned to a misguided invasion based on lies and deceptions.  Much of the world viewed our actions as imperialistic and unwarranted, and our refusal to engage in multilateral discussions has stained our once great reputation.  America needs to, once again, regain its role as the "moral compass for the world."  We need to heal our relations within the global community, while, at the same time promoting our interests and values.  We must take a vested interest in the conflicts throughout the world, not based on monetary gain, but on the values of human life and freedom.  We must also remain diligent in our fight against terrorism and resist myopic approaches to defeating one of the 21st century's greatest threats to peace. 

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GOVERNMENT

• This is where we've really been sold a raw deal America. It was supposed to be, "We the people...," but what it's turned into is special interests and corporations running the show.  Over the last eight years we've been a victim to the lies and corruption, cronyism and back door dealings of a leadership that scoffs at the values of the Constitution.  You've been told that less government is good, but I ask you this, when you turn a blind eye to your appointed officials, who's minding the store?  People of this great nation need to realize that this government is, "by the people, for the people...," and within that statement lies a great responsibility for the prosperity of this nation. 

   

  This is your country, this is your government, you appoint the officials, you police their actions.  What we need is a better government, and what I mean by that is, more involvement by the citizens of this great land.  Don't buy into the "politics of fear" that have paralyzed and disenfranchised so many.  Buy into the Politics of Hope.  We can turn our government back into a shining beacon, and lend some transparency to the goings on in Washington.  No more special interests calling the shots, no more corporations running the show.  Let's bring the government back where it belongs: to the people. Only then can we start getting things done and start tackling issues that matter. 

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HEALTH CARE

• Potentially the most important issue facing the working/middle class and the poor today. The need for an affordable health care plan is long overdue and the lack of any system in the most developed country in the world is reaching epidemic proportions.  I personally know the sting of what it's like to choose between health insurance and groceries, the dread of a potential illness or injury looming over your head, fully aware of the catastrophic results should a great misfortune befall you or your family.  A system needs to be put in place that can assure all Americans are taken care of.  All the factors need to be there: guaranteed eligibility, comprehensive benefits, affordable deductibles, easy enrollment, choice and quality.  This is not a dream Americans should have; this is a reality that can be realized, it can be done.  It's being done in other countries right now, why not the U.S.?  The idea of profit needs to be eliminated from the health care profession and the idea of Health Care, needs to be restored. 

           ***I support H.R. 676***

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IMMIGRATION

• I probably share the most unique perspective on immigration of any candidate in the race for government office today.  I have worked side by side with immigrants and have seen their struggle through a totally different lens.  While living in California I was employed by a manufacturing company that exploited immigrant labor to its fullest extent.  I watched as these people, just looking to make a better life for themselves and their families, were overworked, underpaid, and treated with complete disregard.  This very situation - and a general lack of ability to do anything to turn the tide - led to my leaving the company, but I never forgot what I had experienced. Did I blame these people for their situation? No, these were human beings with as much right to carve their niche in the world as my ancestors.  It was the greedy business owners, only looking to further line their pockets, that deserved all the blame.  It is this kind of mentality that ultimately hurts America, and these businesses should be held accountable.  These people were not terrorists, and the climate of fear forced down America's throat by the current administration only works to further dehumanize these people and portray them as mere objects to be cast aside. 

   

  Yes, we need to strengthen our borders. Yes, we need to find a way to promote economic development in Mexico. And yes, we need to improve our immigration system as a whole.  But what we cannot do is expect these people to come forward and pay a fine and get back in line.  I became friends with some of these immigrants, and I can tell you, on a whole, that will not work.  These people will not risk what they have, whether it requires them to live in the shadows or not, to go back to a life they tried so desperately to escape.  Perhaps my view is not the most popular, but if you want to address the problem with those already in the country, you will need to look into some kind of guest worker program.  And I refuse to watch my tax dollars and yours go toward building a fence, a fence that will stretch for miles, a fence that will cost millions, and a fence that will ultimately fail. 

   

  It wasn't so long ago that we were proud to have helped tear down a wall; let's not be part of building another.

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SENIORS

• Solutions, seniors deserve solutions. They've worked their whole lives and paid into a system that's now looking the other way.  From cheaper prescription drugs to strengthening Medicare, something needs to be done to lessen the costs and increase the choices.  Whether it be allowing the importation of approved prescription drugs from other countries, increasing the availability of cheaper generic drugs, or allowing Medicare to negotiate pricing - potential answers abound - action needs to be taken.  Social Security needs to be strengthened, better funding is required for LIHEAP, predatory insurers must to be stopped, and the elderly must get the proper respect and care they've earned. 

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TECHNOLOGY

• Technology in the 21st century has more potential to bring the world together than at any time in history.  The technological tools of the 21st century allow us to transcend cultures, break boundaries, reach everyone and deny no one.  These are some of the fundamental beliefs the internet was built on; that is why Net Neutrality must be protected.  The open architecture of the internet should be preserved, as it was intended.  The government should be subject to this openness as well, creating a more transparent democracy where all citizens can have a voice. 

   

  At the same time, we need to ensure the right to privacy as well as protecting our children from internet predators.  Efforts need to be made to protect against the misuse of sensitive information by hackers. The government needs to be regulated on how and why it collects information on its citizens.  And protective controls need to be made available for parents to adequately shield there children from the unseen harm lurking within this digital domain. 

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TRANSPORTATION

• Ever since the symbolic "golden spike" was driven home in 1869, America has been a nation united through our vast transportation infrastructure.  It was this transcontinental railroad line that acted as the first bridge, so to speak, toward becoming a developed nation. Our infrastructure is the skeleton that holds our great country together.  Where would we be without our roads, bridges, rail lines, and ports?  It is an often overlooked aspect of American life, but one just as vital and important as any issue out there today. 

   

  We are living in a time where these vast arteries that supply our nation with its life blood, whether it be goods or our workforce, are being neglected, under-funded, poorly planned and left in disrepair.  We have a nation that allocates only a small sliver of its budget to the core that defines it as a developed nation: our roads and everything that goes along with them.

   

  I  work for a transportation company, so I know full well the importance this issue plays in everyday life.  In fact all throughout my life, I've witnessed the need for this infrastructure to remain vital and resilient.  I saw it in my early days as an auto worker where every aspect of the job played upon transportation.  I experienced it during my time in Los Angeles driving a truck to and from productions through the grind of California traffic.  And I see it today, as I help coordinate trucking for major events across this mighty land.  This is a issue that touches everyone.

   

  Being a part of the transportation business, I understand the inherent problems that exist.  And considering that I live in Queen Creek and work in Apache Junction, I sympathize with the problems that face Arizona's District 6.  I've lived in large metropolitan areas throughout my life and have witnessed the stress that a poorly planned infrastructure can put on a community.  We are seeing the early stages of that right now in our own District 6 and throughout the Phoenix area.  The lack of planning for proper roadways combined with the housing boom has lead to a perfect storm of problems.  Miserable daily commutes, a shortage of jobs in the developing communities, and an absence of funding are paramount concerns.  We need to push for national funding and appeal to the DOT through the TIFIA for assistance.  We need to attract livable wage businesses to the developing outskirts, while at the same time retaining the qualities that make these areas unique.  And we need to work together as a community to find solutions that are attainable.  It wasn't so long ago that FDR created the WPA and helped get a nation back on its feet and moving; it's this kind of creative thinking that's needed again. 

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THE RURAL COMMUNITY

• Rural communities are an important part and lasting legacy of Americana, as culturally defining as baseball and apple pie.  Efforts need to be made to preserve these communities, while helping bridge the gap into the 21st Century.  Investments in rural infrastructure, education, healthcare and technology are needed to help these communities remain vital, while still retaining their own identities.  The family farms that populate many of these communities need protection from the large corporations squeezing them out of their very existence. We can help by encouraging local agriculture as well as organic farming and tax incentives for an infusion of youth into the farming landscape.

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THE WAR IN IRAQ

• Quite simply put, it's time to bring our troops home.  We need a conscientious withdrawal from this misguided war and it needs to begin today.  No permanent bases, no propped up governments, no 100 years.  Refocus our attentions on diplomacy and regional alliances. 

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